On View

Roman-Egyptian

Vase and lid in the form of the head of a Nubian boy

Unknown artist, Roman-EgyptianVase and lid in the form of the head of a Nubian boy, late 3rd - 2nd century BCEBronze12.7 x 10 x 4.9 cm (5 x 3 15/16 x 1 15/16 inches) (bust)Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke 11.035

Used for burning incense, this vessel is in the form of a bust of a Nubian youth. The defiant gaze and the twist of his upper body suggest that the model was a bound captive. As contact with Africa increased greatly during the Hellenistic period after the cam-paigns of Alexander the Great and his successors in Egypt, so too did artistic representations of Africans and African themes. During this period, artists were exploring realism and frequently depicted marginalized members of society, such as the elderly, the infirm, and different ethnic groups.

The Hellenistic world featured a wide range of communities and trading partners. Many Greeks, or Hellenized members of colonies like Egypt, came into contact with representatives from nations as far away as Sudan and India. Egyptians held a keen interest in their southern neighbors on the African continent, coupled with a desire to accurately depict Africans in art. This perfume vessel is just one of many examples of this trend, showing the head of an African boy in carefully modeled bronze. The exoticism of the external representation echoed the exotic contents within, as many perfume ingredients were imported from afar.